Wie die Wissenschaft winziger Zeitskalen (Attosekundenwissenschaft) Computer beschleunigen und die Solarzellentechnologie verbessern könnte

* Attosecond science, the laser-led study of what happens to matter over very short timescales, could lead to major advances in our understanding of nature’s fastest processes.

* It could enhance computers, develop **more efficient solar power cells**, and both identify **new medical treatments and improve diagnostic** processes – all vital to tackling climate change and combating illness.

* An attosecond equates to one-billionth of one-billionth of a second. Attosecond science – the subject of the **2023 Nobel prize** in physics – involves using such almost unimaginably short, intense pulses of laser light to transfer lots of energy to a “target” material.

* Attosecond science has already spawned new research in areas such as attochemistry, attobiology and attomicroscopy.

* In materials such as organic photovoltaics (used in solar cells), which contain carbon-based substances including plastics, electrons interact with each other and their surrounding environment when exposed to attosecond pulses. Studying this behaviour may help scientists improve the technology in solar cells: tracking the first fractions of a second after light strikes the cell could allow the materials in it to be tweaked, boosting performance.

* The field could also be key to building optoelectronic computers, which have switching speeds (a measure of their responsiveness) 100,000 times faster than existing digital electronic devices. Attosecond science could have a significant impact on the development of **quantum computing**.

* There’s a free seminar series called Atto Fridays, with talks and discussions/debates published on their [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/QuantumBattles).